The Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) isn't wrong. It just doesn't go Essay - 1

The Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) isn't wrong. It just doesn't go far enough. Discuss - Essay Example by the quÐ °ntity betÐ ° (ÃŽ ²) in the finÐ °nciÐ °l industry, Ð °s well Ð °s the expected return of the mÐ °rket Ð °nd the expected return of Ð ° theoreticÐ °l risk-free Ð °sset. The cÐ °pitÐ °l Ð °sset pricing model (CÐ PM) theory Ð °ssumes thÐ °t Ð °n investor expects Ð ° yield on Ð ° certÐ °in security equivÐ °lent to the risk free rÐ °te (sÐ °y thÐ °t rÐ °te Ð °chievÐ °ble on six-month TreÐ °sury bills) plus Ð ° premium bÐ °sed on mÐ °rket vÐ °riÐ °bility of return X Ð ° mÐ °rket risk premium. In Winter 1991, the mÐ °rket risk premium on listed U.S. common stocks Ð °ppeÐ °rs to hÐ °ve been Ð °bout 6.5%, Ð °ccording to stÐ °tistics published in the QuÐ °rterly Review, Winter 1991, by the FederÐ °l Reserve BÐ °nk of New York (though the Ibbotson study found it to exceed 8% from the mid 1920s through 1987). Thus in Ð ° period of 4% inflÐ °tion, the T-bill rÐ °te might be Ð °ppropriÐ °tely 4.5 to 5%; Ð ° four- or five-yeÐ °r TreÐ °sury note should hÐ °ve Ð ° yield of 5.5 to 6%; TreÐ °sury bonds should yield Ð ° percent higher thÐ °n this; Ð °nd corporÐ °te bond yields should hÐ °ve even higher returns to co mpensÐ °te for their Ð °dditionÐ °l credit or business risk. The cÐ °pitÐ °l Ð °sset pricing model for this scenÐ °rio suggests thÐ °t Ð °nnuÐ °l returns on low-betÐ ° electric utility might be .05 + .50 betÐ ° (.065) = 8.25%. Ð bout 75% of this might come from dividends Ð °nd the bÐ °lÐ °nce from expected growth in dividends over Ð °n extended time period. By contrÐ °st, Ð °n Ð °verÐ °ge stock with Ð ° betÐ ° of 1.00 should provide Ð ° rÐ °te of return of 4.5 to 5.0% plus the mÐ °rket premium of 6.5% or between 11 Ð °nd 12%. Ð  high-betÐ ° stock (one operÐ °ting in Ð ° cyclicÐ °l industry, for exÐ °mple) with Ð ° betÐ °, or relÐ °tive mÐ °rket volÐ °tility in price, of 1.50 should provide Ð ° mÐ °rket return of 5.0% + 1.50 (0.065) or Ð °bout 15%. We could convert these from eÐ °rnings price rÐ °tios to price-eÐ °rnings (P-E) rÐ °tios Ð °nd determine thÐ °t the electric utilities, in this scenÐ °rio, should trÐ °de Ð °t Ð °bout Ð ° 12 Ãâ€" P-E rÐ °tio Ð °nd the high-betÐ °

Moral Judgment and Ethical Leadership in Chinese Management-The Role Research Paper

Moral Judgment and Ethical Leadership in Chinese Management-The Role of Confucianism and Collectivism - Research Paper Example The paper throws light on moral judgment and ethical aspects are two of the most important aspects used in management leadership. Management leaders need to take decisions in regard to greater moral judgments and ethical perspectives. Moral judgment and ethical decision making abilities are important in management leadership in order to develop the organizational science. Moral judgment and ethical leadership management help organizations to reduce the uncertainties in management issues related to interests of multiple stakeholders and management values. In Chinese management system theses concepts are highly important in creating greater effective management leadership practices, Confucianism is the most important ethical as well as philosophical system which was developed by the renowned Chinese philosopher Confucius. This ethical and philosophical aspect is also applied in management leadership practices. The notion of collectivism deals with the any political, social, economic, a nd religious aspect which emphasizes on the interdependence of each and every human being and the concept is very much important in Chinese leadership management for increasing the level of collected interests in management practices. The political structure of the country is the most important inspiration for promoting the collectivism approach in the country and Confucianism acts as the moral guiding support for management leaders across the country to apply moral judgment and ethical aspects in business management practices. ... This ethical and philosophical aspect is also applied in management leadership practices. The notion of collectivism deals with the any political, social, economic, and religious aspect which emphasizes on the interdependence of each and every human being and the concept is very much important in Chinese leadership management for increasing the level of collected interests in management practices. The political structure of the country is the most important inspiration for promoting the collectivism approach in the country and Confucianism acts as the moral guiding support for management leaders across the country to apply moral judgment and ethical aspects in business management practices (Cheng, 2011, pp. 657-658). Literature Review and propositions Development: A) The Nature of Confucianism: Confucianism plays an important role in the process of development of strong cultural perception in Chinese social, cultural, economic, and business management perspectives and also it plays t he most crucial role in the process of development in the culture of the country. Confucianism leads to greater and stronger perceptions in the cultural context of the country. The core idea of Confucianism is humanism which is the guiding force for developing the stronger perspective in the cultural context of the country. The ethical and sociopolitical teaching of the notion of Confucianism and the humanism approach of the performing social, cultural, economic, and political practices and acts are helping the development of all cultural contexts of the country to become stronger with the passage of time (Husted and Alan, 2008, pp. 297-299). This property of Confucianism of dealing with humanism helps the culture of the country through developments of people

Effectiveness of Terrorism Campaigns

Effectiveness of Terrorism Campaigns Much of the theory surrounding terrorism states that it works as a communication strategy signalling the costs of not giving in to the coercers’ demands (Abrahms 2001). Bonnie Cordes goes against this way of thinking by saying that â€Å"although terrorism is often described as a form of communication, terrorists are rather poor communicators because the violence of terrorism is rarely understood by the public† (p.1). During the 70’s and 80’s the emergence of terrorism was used as a tool of coercion being the preferred choice in warfare in the hopes of furthering an Islamic group to being the main ruling power of a country. Many analysts have exposed terrorism as sometimes reaching the outlined goals while many others argue that terrorism depending on whether it uses guerrilla warfare or strikes on civilians, reaches no positive outcomes for the coercer. Much of the literature has focused on pre-Iraq and pre-Afghan conflicts both of which contained a lot of terrorism. We have now entered the twenty first century and at present the Middle Eastern countries are engulfed in numerous ideological and religious based wars. Different Islamic groups are fighting within their own countries to reach and end that sees their preferred religious group becoming the ruling governing party. As of this year terrorism against both civilians and military still remains the preferred tool of warfare. As terrorism has failed to wane in the present it is relevant to see whether its use has become any more positively coercive against the targeted country or state. Max Abrahms (2001) is a researcher who has delved in to terrorism data to uncover whether it is a useful tool in coercing governments to giving into groups’ demands. He first outlines two types of targeted conflicts – those that are guerrilla who take aim at military targets which are found to be the more successful at coercing governments into meeting demands. The second type is ones targeting civilians and these are less successful due to the perception that by targeting civilians the groups through their aggressive nature will be impossible to bargain and reason with. The goals the groups attempt to achieve are also indicative of future success. Maximalist goals are often not achieved whilst minimalist goals are. The aims of the group also need to be clear. Often outcomes goals are not easily understood as they are tied up in ideological or religious reasons. In this case outcomes are often not reached. Although terrorism was used frequently during the 80’s and 90’s terrorism specialists stated that the use of terrorism rarely achieved the outcome goals demanded of governments (Cordes et al., 1984 in Abrahms 2012). Abrahms (2012) finds that terrorist campaigns are an inherently unprofitable coercive tactic because governments resist complying when their civilians are the focus of substate attack. When Abrahms assessed the goals of terrorists he found two types; process goals and outcome goals. Process goals are a ploy to gain extra individuals to the group, to gain media attention, and financial support from likeminded people with attempts at hampering peace-processes and boosting morale. As we will see in examples from Iraq, their civil war is based on both types of goals. Their outcome goals are stated political goals which aim to overthrow the current Shia government and instil a caliphate leader of Sunni background. The difference between the two is the latter requires the compliance of the target government which at present is not happening under current Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki. In order to statistically test the effectiveness of terrorist campaigns Abrahms used a sample of 42 cases of terror attacks. He found that attacks carried out on civilians as done by Hamas versus ones carried out against a military such as the Tamil Tigers lead to differences in favour of the Tamil Tigers. The difference being governments tended to comply more often when attacks were not aimed at innocent people. Unlike guerrilla campaigns terrorist campaigns are seen as a losing political tactic (Abrahms 2012). He further expanded his study to include 125 campaigns carried out by 54 groups. Roughly half of the campaigns were guerrilla using their attacks on military personnel. He first looked at the Foreign Terrorist Organisations (FTO) capabilities and found certain criteria were relevant for future success. These included the peak membership size, the FTO life span; older groups had more highly developed organisational skills, whether or not the group received external support and lastly whether the group employed suicide missions as these enhanced the lethality of attacks, required additional manpower which enhances coercive effectiveness (Pare 2003, 2005). The target country’s capability was also a future predictor of a campaigns success, as a country with great capability was less susceptible to coercion (Drezner 1998, Hart 2000 in Abrahms 2012). Much of the terrorist activity used at present is within the Middle East and is being used in a civil war. In these cases the size of the objective is the key variable affecting the political outcomes of these substate campaigns (Abrahms 2006b, Pape 2003, 2005). In order for a government to make concessions to terror groups it is important they know what the objectives are. In the current literature there appears to be a general consensus on how governments rank political objectives. Campaigns found to have maximalist objectives seek to induce target governments into relinquishing their power or changing their ideology. Campaigns with limited objectives tend to not directly affect the government or its citizens fundamental way of life (Abrahms 2006b, George 1971). There is some research that finds FTO’s to be successful on certain occasions. Of the 125 campaigns Abrahms looked at, 38 successfully coerced the target country into at least partially complying with the policy demands. There is a clear difference however based on whether guerrilla tactics were used over terrorist attacks. The number is practically half of those that used guerrilla versus terrorism. The guerrilla campaigns which targeted the military accounted for 36 successful cases of coercion. The only case where terrorism partially succeeded on its policy demand was the highly publicised Spanish decision to withdraw from Iraq in response to the March 11 2004 Madrid train station bombings. Here the Moroccan Islamist group attacked Spanish commuters days before the prime ministerial election, helping to elect anti-war candidate who then fulfilled his pledge to bring Spanish troops home. However researchers tend to agree on the conclusion that the 11-M campaign was an outlie r. Regardless of terrorist capability, guerrilla groups appear to be the only group that achieve their political demands. Terrorist campaigns would therefore seem to be an ineffective coercive tool. Comparativists are finding that rebel campaigns against civilians in protracted civil wars reduce the likelihood of gaining compliance of either the government (Fortna 2008) or the local population (Kalyvas 2006) again which can be observed from an Iraq perspective. The PM Maliki has consistently resisted the demands of the terrorist groups while also condemning all attacks. Equally, studies assessing the media coverage of terrorism, consistently finds that it seldom amplifies the political demands of its perpetrators. Equally the coverage is portrayed as acts of senseless bestiality (Hewitt 1993 p.52). Less than 10% of coverage sided with the grievances of the terrorists (Kelly Mitchell 1984p. 287). Lastly, the number of people killed is always higher for civilians than against assaults on a military in guerrilla campaigns. Putting terrorism into context and taking the year 2012 as an example, there were a total of 6771 attacks worldwide resulting in over 11,000 deaths and more than 21,000 injuries (state.gov). Of these attacks civilians were the biggest victims accounting for 2073 lives. Police fatalities accounted for 1700 while government staff accounted for 971. Military personnel only accounted for 379 (sate.gov) despite the research carried out by Abrahms suggesting that for terrorist groups to achieve any success being determined by attacks carried out on military staff. In January alone Iraqi terrorist groups were responsible for the brutal deaths of over 1300 people (state.gov). Globally, Iraq ranks second in the total number of attacks combined in the year 2012 however they are number one for the amount of people killed (2436), the greatest number seen since 2006-2008 civil war. As previously mentioned, the Middle East is geographically the mostly heavily concentrated area of terrorist attacks even though the attacks occur in 85 countries. The highest proportion of attacks occurred in Pakistan, Iraq and Afghanistan with over half the occurrences happening in these countries. Of the targets aimed at 2073 out of 7467 are civilians whilst police account for 1699, government 971 and military comes at 379 after business at 480. In Iraq just over 27 percent of attacks were targeted at civilians whilst 24 percent against police. Journalists were targeted most frequently in Somalia (26%), Pakistan (18%) and Syria (13%). Taking Iraq as an example and using Max Abrahms criteria for successful campaigns the following will outline whether after all these years terrorism really is the only viable way of coercing governments to a groups demands. State.gov reports that like Pakistan over 81% of attacks in Iraq are attributed to unknown perpetrators. The remaining attacks were identifies as those belonging to Al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) or The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Terrorism in Iraq was identified as some of the most lethal with three out of 10 being the most lethal of 2012. Although a single attack on any given day would be severe in Iraq there was often a concentrated and coordinated attacks that happened across the same day at multiple different locations. One particular day there were 30 attacks across the country. The tactics and targets were highly concentrated with more than 6 percent of all attacks targeted at either innocent civilians and property or police. An additional 10 perce nt were targeted at government officials. Over 80 percent of the attacks were bombings. Worldwide the perpetrators that accounted for the most fatalities were the Taliban (1842) with Al Qaeda in Iraq and the ISIL coming in third (892). Of the tactics used bombing was the most preferred choice accounting for 65 percent used worldwide. At present the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Diplomatic Security (OSAC) reports that the main target of terror in Iraq are government personnel and assets. Due to the groups protracted attempts at overthrowing the democratically elected Iraqi government and replacing it with a Sunni led Islamic caliphate such as in Iran. In 2013 9571 Iraqi civilians were killed and 2006 since the beginning of this year according to Iraq Body Count (Counterpunch). At present ISIS is taking over Sunni populated areas such as Fallujah and Mosul, this however is not getting the media attention that is required due to the threats and attacks on journalists, of which five have been killed since October last whilst over 40 have fled to Kurdistan and Turkey (Counterpunch). There has been a major increase in the occupation of Sunni led groups such as ISIS taking control over Sunni Iraq however the government seems to be struggling to regain control. Shia civilians continue to be killed en masses however the biggest problem is finding the whereabouts of the groups. Civilian deaths appear to have outnumbered military fatalities despite the fact that research has shown this type pf warfare to be ineffective in achieving any coercive outcomes. Despite thousands of Shia’s being mortally wounded Iraq’s Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has numerous times stated that he â€Å"will not enter negotiations with terrorists† saying â€Å"that crushing terrorists is one of the priorities of the current Iraqi government†. He further explained why negotiating with these groups (ISIL/Al Qaeda) would be futile saying these groups are not and will not be a negotiating side†. He went on to stress that â€Å"whichever side that is not opposed to terrorist groups, is not worthy of partnership in running the country’s affairs†. (REF) At present the Iraqi army has been working closely with both ethnic and local police in the al-Anbar province in an attempt to defeat the terrorists and al-Qaeda. The fighting is due to divisions between the Sunni and Shia population remaining after the civil war. Prior to which the Sunni minority were leading the country through Saddam Hussein. Add to this also the Kurdish minority who also want a say in how the country is governed. Sunni’s accuse the current government of exclusion despite their presence in parliament. The government ignored a protest in December 2013 stating that it was a ploy for the sectarian and territorial division of the country (REF). In November 2010 a power sharing agreement was made between all three parties however the Sunnis felt the government was marginalising them by having more Shia representatives. The cultural divisions appear too difficult for the government to handle which has led to the current uprising in the country and their inability to handle the security crisis. Although the massacring of civilians has proven ineffective in the past, 8,000 people died in 2013 of which most of them were civilians. Abrahms outlined the possible coercive abilities of groups being dependent on the outcome or process goals. For ISIL and al-Qaeda, process goals have managed to garner some support from the mainly Sunni peoples and they have been receiving funding from external sources such as Iran who are happy to help out the opposition in order to create instability within the Sunnis. Recruits were increased during the past number of years and the group is claimed to have 2500 members. Although the groups hope for media attention, as Abrahms has pointed out this is seldom in favour of the group’s plight and this has been the case in Iraq. Journalists are afraid to print negative stories in fear of their lives with many as shown fleeing to neighbouring countries. Equally, when looking at the outcome goals which is looking at what the group wishes to achieve politically they are aiming for maximalist goals that are not so much based on territory alone but rather a forceful attempt at overthrowing a government in the hopes of dividing the country into sectarian divisions based on ideological and religious goals of transforming he country into a Shia state following Sharia Law. These goals have proved to be impossible to achieve whether peaceful or violent means are attempted due in part to the lack of compliance of the current government. Iraq’s capabilities also are strong with the US having trained them and provided them with numerous arms and ammunition and vehicles (REF). The higher the capability the less susceptible the target country is. The size of the objective is a key variable in the future success of the group. As can be seen in the Iraq example the objectives are vast which makes the likelihood of any concessions highly unlikely.

Music Essay -- Filmmakers, Diegetic Sounds

Music plays a critical role in the narrative films as it is important technique that filmmakers use to support the narrative and influence the way that the viewer interacts, responds and interprets the events as they unfold. The godfather, which is one of all time Hollywood movies, represents a good use of music that succeeded in supporting the dramatic events that take place in the movie. Moreover, both diegetic and non-diegetic music in the godfather movie are used to achieve the overall purpose by using the different principles and functions of film music that range from setting the mood of the viewer to providing continuity within the movie. In this essay, we will take part of the godfather movie in which we can observe and analyse the role of the music in the film (00:30:52- 00:35:52) In the beginning of the clip (0:30:52), as the dissolve take us from the previous scene where ,Mr. Woltz , a wealthy studio head, refused angrily the request of Don Vito Corleone to cast Johnny Fontane in one of his movies, the dissolve take us to the next scene where we see Mr. Woltz's house from outside. As the dissolve takes place, a diegetic sound of night insects are heard and even before the next scene comes up on screen. The diegetic sound of night insects provides continuity between the first and the second scene and carry the viewer across a temporal ellipsis of hours (00:30:49-00:30:53) . Moreover, the night insects sound in the next scene (00:30:53-00:31:00) suggests the approach of night and the calmness in Mr. Woltz's house and that to show the difference between the beginning and the end of the scene (00:30:53-00:31:00). Then, as the shot gets closer to the window of Mr. Woltz's bedroom (00:31:03), a non-diegetic music of th... ...(00:32:50-00:33:18) . Then, the scene goes back to don Corleone as he listens to Tom Hegan talks about Sollozo. Suddenly, Don Corleons asks Tom Hegan about Sollozo's prison record and then non-diegetic music runs focusing our attention on the interesting discussion they have about Sollozo and the decision they should make regarding co-operating with Sollozo.(0:33:19-00:34:11) In conclusion, music role in the selected clip from the godfather represents a great use of both diegetic sounds and non-diegetic music that help the viewer of the narrative film to illustrate and interpret the dramatic events as they unfold. Moreover, Setting the mood, providing continuity between scenes and intensifying rhythm and pacing were the principle functions of film music that were used in the selected clip to achieve the overall goal of the use of music in the scenes. .

Generals die in bed Essay

â€Å"We light cigarettes against orders and cup our hands around them to hide the glow. We sit thinking. Fry stands motionless with his steel helmet shoved down almost over his eyes. He leans against the parapet motionless. There is a quiet dignity about his posture. I remember what we were told at the base about falling asleep on sentry duty. I nudge his leg. He grunts.† Generals Die in Bed is a anti-war novella written by a Canadian author. Based on a true story, this novella showcases the reality of being in the trenches of WW I. The passage I have selected above shows how defiant one can be in a time of stress and emotional trauma as well as how authority can set seemingly unfair rules. This passage can easily display themes of rebellious and defiance towards authority as it also creates a mood of anxiety and gloom through a first person perspective. Defiance is a bold resistance to authority and in this case the defiance of the soldiers is a perfect example of being rebellious to higher authority. While the soldiers work and live in the trenches they have a cloud hanging over them of not knowing what is to come. This is often an intimidating feeling and when one is intimidated they will find ways to assert their own importance which is often through rebellious acts. Intimidation often goes hand in hand with fear and in this novella and passage fear is a present theme. A theme is a unifying or dominant idea and clearly portrayed in this novella a few obvious themes may include defiance, rebellion, fear of the unknown and fear of death. This passage more so focuses on the theme of defiance; as they claimed â€Å"We light cigarettes against orders..†. There is a higher authority that has set rules for the soldiers. This idea of the 2 soldiers disobeying the rules is a very easily targeted example of rebellion or a rebellious act. As well as the soldier spoke of not falling asleep on sentry duty and when he noticed the second soldier Fry falling victim he was quick to make sure he was awake and alert. To me this showed a fear of consequence which would follow up of breaking a rule. A mood and feeling of anxiety comes from an overwhelming responsibility to over see the well being of your troops as they rest. This explains the importance of staying awake on sentry duty. This feeling and notion of death could potentially be around the corner will leave one full of stress and anxiety. The gloominess comes from being surrounded by death and sadness amoungst your fellow troops and the enemy. Its an experience that most people will never understand first hand but to those who volunteer or are voluntold it can often lead to mild or major trauma. The passage I have chosen above displays the true horrors of being in war but can only be recognized by those who looker for the deeper meaning of the passage. The words written by the author capture the essence of how war truly changes a man; defiance, disobedience, new and overpowering fears as well as emotional changes. For those who can realize and understand the   

Review: An Inconvenient Truth

Review : An Inconvenient Truth An Inconvenient Truth is a provocative documentary on global warming by director Davis Guggenheim. The film, based on the multi-media presentation given by former Vice President Al Gore in over 1,000 cities around the world in recent years, presents a disturbing picture of the destruction that global warming is doing to the earth and the horrific future that we are facing if global warming is not addressed.Despite some serious weaknesses, anyone who is concerned about the future must see this film and join in discussion, debate, and action over what is needed to save the planet. At a time when believing in scientific truth is under attack, and when the Bush administration is gagging government scientists from telling the truth, censoring official reports, and sabotaging international treaties, An Inconvenient Truth defends, popularizes and makes accessible to millions the basic science of global warming.Because of this, the film has come under attack. R ight-wing talk show host Glenn Beck compared An Inconvenient Truth, to Nazi propaganda. Holman Jenkins wrote in the Wall Street Journal: â€Å"Mr. Gore’s narrative isn’t science, but science fiction. † The movie presents scientific concepts and evidence about global warming in a clear, concise and often entertaining way. It features great nature photography, graphs, and animation to visually express complex evidence. It even has a clip from Futurama. I can’t think of another movie in which the display of a graph elicited gasps of horror, but when the red lines showing the increasing rates of carbon-dioxide emissions and the corresponding rise in temperatures come on screen, the effect is jolting and chilling,† A. O. Scott writes in the New York Times review of the movie. In the movie Gore shows a graph that demonstrates a link between CO2 levels and temperature over the last 600,000 years as revealed by samples from polar ice cores. 1 During this en tire period CO2 levels have varied between 180 and 280 parts per million (ppm).The level today is nearly 400 ppm, well above anything that has been seen in over a half million years. And Gore points out that the CO2 levels will rise to 600 ppm if something isn’t done quickly. Gore describes the dramatic changes taking place in the world as a result of global warming. He shows pictures taken 15 to 30 years ago of glaciers that have existed for the last 10,000 years or more and compares them to pictures taken in the last year or two. It is shocking to see the rate at which the glaciers are disappearing!The film shows the famous â€Å"snows of Kilimanjaro† in 1970. A picture from 2005 shows only a tiny sliver of ice remaining. The movie describes how many new scientific studies are confirming that warmer water in the top layer of the ocean caused by global warming is producing more powerful hurricanes. While it is not possible to attribute any specific storm, like Katrina , to the effects of global warming, an MIT study indicated that as a whole major storms spinning in both the Atlantic and the Pacific since the 1970s have increased in duration and intensity about 50%. And all of this means hardship and suffering for the people. While in the world as a whole it appears that global warming has contributed to a 20 percent increase in rain over the last 100 years. However this increase in precipitation is not uniform, and some areas of the world have suffered from drought. It was striking to see the role this drought plays in the horrors now going on in Africa, which are generally written off in the imperialist press as the inevitable nightmares of â€Å"uncivilized† people that the West has no responsibility for.Famine is killing many children and putting millions of lives at risk in the Niger area. In Darfur, a horrific genocide is being carried out. While the causes leading to the genocide and famine are complex, a contributing factor to thes e nightmare situations is changes brought on by global warming. Lake Chad, once the sixth largest lake in the world, which has shrunk to one-twentieth of its former size, with sand dunes covering its bed. The disappearance of the lake has led to collapsed fisheries, lack of irrigation and crop failures, and millions displaced by hunger.While the climate changes produced by global warming are beginning to show themselves today in shocking ways, these are just a glimmer of the changes that scientists predict may come about due to global warming: mass extinction of species, flooding in coastal areas due to melting polar ice, spread of infectious diseases, and the destruction of coral reefs caused by rising CO2 in the ocean’s water. The destruction of glaciers due to global warming does not mean only that our children may never be able to see a glacier.The Himalayan glaciers, which provide more than half of the drinking water for over 40% of the world’s population, are amo ng the most affected by global warming. Within the next 50 years these people may face a massive drinking water shortage as well as food shortages due to lack of irrigation. This is a one scary movie, made all the more so because the threats it depicts are real. And, unlike so many summer blockbusters, no superhero is going to come to save the day.

Concepts of International Relations Theories

Concepts of International Relations Theories Introduction Nobody knows why many policymakers and practitioners are so much involved in the erudite study of international dealings. Majority of policymakers dismiss academic theorists of course terming their own reasons. Nevertheless, largely, these policymakers agree that there is an inexorable connection the world of theory and that of policy. Theories are imperative to the blizzard of information that affects people’s lives. Although some theories may appear futile in policymaking, some of them are fundamental to the policymaking process.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Concepts of International Relations Theories specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More To some extent, the two are interdependent in that good policies emanate form theoretical principles, while good theories come after understanding the real world. However, theories do not incarcerate the policymaking process. Instead, they offer an array of idea s on how to develop foreign policies from the theoretical orthodoxies. Starting from the end of the Second World War, many policymakers have continued to fault international relations as a subject. This prompted scholars to develop several theories, which have since met criticisms between analysts and policymakers. The two main contentious theories are realism and liberalism (Stephen, 1998, p.1). Realism During the Cold War, realism was the dominant theory in explaining international affairs. Although elucidatory on the ways of eliminating conflict and war, many policymakers found it faulty in its approaches towards imperialism, international cooperation and competition. Many policymakers believe that this theory ignored human nature and instead focuses on the international structure alone. Thus, employing this theory into practice means that the world will become unsafe through increased wars because every great power is seeking to control other nations (Wally, 1995. pp.13-21). Thi s theory makes assumptions that nations resemble each other even when there are rich countries and poor countries. Therefore, nations must look for modalities of amassing resources in order to determine the level of their powers. This perception can lead to security dilemma hence making many policymakers to pin down some of the theories of international relations. This theory makes nations appear individualistic, as the main aim is to protect self-interests for survival (Forde, 1995, pp. 141-160). Liberalism Liberalism is another theory of international relations that has met criticism from many policymakers. Just like realism, the theory assumes that all nations are equal economically and military. Many policymakers argue that economic interdependence of states will babysit other nations from developing their own economy using the available resources. Additionally, the theory principally selects few transnational actors for example, multinational corporations from rich countries to control the world’s economy.Advertising Looking for essay on international relations? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This is disadvantageous to other smaller corporations especially in underdeveloped countries as they will not grow faster to reach the international standards. Through this theory, there is increased poverty around the world. Although this theory asserts that nations should strive to achieve economic dependence, it presents egoistic ideas under anarchical conditions. The other problem with this theory as depicted out by many policymakers is that it assumes all people irrespective of their background are hungry for political, economic and military supremacy. From this assumption, it is hard to establish a policy that will cater for the needs of the whole people (Copeland, 1996, pp. 5-12). Conclusion The main reason why many theories of international relations are of no use to policymakers is th at these theories are mainly assumptions and take all human beings and nations are unitary. In reality, this is not the case. Each region or country in the world has its own resources. These resources are the one that sets the foundation of building the economy of the citizenry. Many of these theories assert that every human being should strive egoistically to achieve personal success. Whenever this fails to happen, the have-nots will turn to those who have and finally conflict and war ensues. Nevertheless, we cannot discard these theories as they give us the glimpse of our future. In the same case, the practical world of policymaking should dictate human beings to develop theories consistent with real life. References Copeland, D., 1996. Economic Interdependence and War: A Theory of Trade Expectations. International Security, 20(4), 5-12. Forde, S., 1995. International Realism and the Science of Politics: Thucydides, Machiavelli and Neorealism. International Studies Quarterly, 39(2 ), 141-160. Stephen, M., 1998. International relations: One world, many theories. Web.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Concepts of International Relations Theories specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Wally, Z., 1995. International Relations and the Process of Ending the Cold War. Web.

Holden Caulfields Troubles with Others essays

Holden Caulfields Troubles with Others essays The irrational Holden Caulfield in the novel Catcher in the Rye, has many problems. A significant one he has is his difficulty in dealing with others. This is because Holden does not behave in socially appropriate ways. This is shown when Holden is on his date with Sally Hayes, when Holden fights with Ward Stradlater, and when he meets Carl Luce at the Wicker Bar. All these situations will be discussed in this essay. One of Holdens first difficulties is with the arrogant Ward Stradlater. Stradlater is Holdens older roommate and is dating Holdens friend Jane. Holden becomes upset with him after he goes out with Jane one night. He thinks that Stradlater gave her the time (Salinger 43). Stradlater refuses to tell Holden what he did with Jane. This action upsets Holden and he takes a punch at Stradlater and misses. Stradlater then knocks Holden down and sits on his chest with his knees. Holden starts crying and calls Stradlater a moron. Stradlater promises to let him up if he does not call Stradlater any more names. After Stradlater lets him up Holden calls Stradlater a dirty stupid sonuvabitch moron (Salinger 44). This time Stradlater knocks Holden out. Holden woke up soon after on the floor covered in blood. Holden did not behave in a socialy acceptable manner. Most people would have either told Stradlater how they felt or just let it go. Another example is that Holden is not thinking about what he is doing. This is shown when Holden says Im a pacifist, if you want to know the truth (Salinger 46) just after attacking Stradlater. For Holden to stop having troubles with others people he must learn to think about his actions before jumping to conclusions. Holden also does not know when he is beat. After being knocked down by Stradlater and getting punched out Holden still made fun of Stradlater. Holden must learn when to give up he could be badly hurt. ...

Qu son los delitos de conducta inmoral y consecuencias

Qu son los delitos de conducta inmoral y consecuencias Los delitos inmorales tienen enormes  consecuencias negativas tanto para los migrantes -legales e indocumentados- como para las personas  que desean visitar o emigrar a Estados Unidos. Y es que estos delitos, conocidos en inglà ©s como crimes of  moral turpitude o CMT o ICMT, afectan a la capacidad para sacar todas visas no inmigrantes, como por ejemplo la de turista. Tambià ©n son causa para que se rechace la obtencià ³n de la tarjeta de residencia, tambià ©n conocida como green card. Asimismo, los delitos inmorales son causa de deportacià ³n y, finalmente, tambià ©n pueden impedir la obtencià ³n de la ciudadanà ­a estadounidense por naturalizacià ³n. Por todas estas razones en este artà ­culo se explican cules  son las felonà ­as o delitos inmorales y cà ³mo afecta a cada una de las situaciones que pueden presentarse y quà © se puede hacer en estos casos.  ¿Cules son los delitos inmorales? No hay ninguna ley que diga cules son. De hecho, ninguna persona es formalmente acusada y enjuiciada por un delito de conducta inmoral. Entonces,  ¿quà © son? Segà ºn la Corte de Apelaciones de Inmigracià ³n (BIA, por sus siglas en inglà ©s), los delitos inmorales son conductas molestas que atentan contra la moralidad de la sociedad, bien porque su autor actuà ³ con una intencià ³n realmente mala (evil) o porque actuà ³ sin ningà ºn cuidado o consideracià ³n, incluso con temeridad.  ¿Quià ©n decide que un delito o una falta es inmoral, que es moral turpitude? Las agencias del gobierno, como el Servicio de Ciudadanà ­a e Inmigracià ³n, conocido como USCIS en inglà ©s, o los oficiales consulares. Y por supuesto las Cortes de Inmigracià ³n. Hay que destacar que no hay opinià ³n unnime y que la misma conducta puede ser considerada de manera distinta segà ºn la persona a la que le corresponda valorarlas. En todo caso, a continuacià ³n se enuncia una lista de acciones que, segà ºn las circunstancias del caso, han sido catalogadas consistentemente como delitos inmorales, destacando que muchas de ellas estn catalogadas como delitos (felonies), pero otras son, en la mayorà ­a de los casos, simples faltas desde el punto de vista penal (misdemeanors). Pero eso no es obstculo para que sean considerados delitos inmorales a la hora de aplicar las leyes migratorias. Adems, hay que subrayar que algunos de los delitos de conducta inmoral se consideran tambià ©n como agravados. Si se califican como agravados, las consecuencias son incluso ms graves. Listado de delitosy faltas que pueden ser calificados como inmorales Delitos de conducta inmoral contra la propiedad: Extorsionar, hurtar, robar, transportar con conocimiento mercancà ­a robada o aceptarla.Defraudar mediante representacià ³n falsa. Es decir, presentando a sabiendas un hecho falso como si fuese verdadero para poder defraudar a otra persona.Alterar un documento con el objeto de lograr que otra persona, la và ­ctima, entregue un tà ­tulo o escritura de propiedad.Destruir maliciosamente propiedad pà ºblica o privada.Provocar un incendio o realizar una falsificacià ³n con el fin de cometer un delito contra la propiedad.Desfalcar, malversar fondos o chantajear. Delitos de conducta inmoral contra la Autoridad: Evadir a sabiendas el pago de impuestos, esconder tambià ©n con conocimiento a un fugitivo de la justicia.Falsificar dinero.Cometer perjurio.Tambià ©n forman parte de esta categorà ­a de crà ­menes obtener dinero u otra cosa de valor mediante un fraude cometido por medio del sistema de Correos.Cohecho, es decir, un soborno en el que la persona que pide o recibe dinero u otra clase de beneficio es un funcionario pà ºblico o un miembro de la Autoridad. Delitos de conducta inmoral contra las personas: Abandonar voluntariamente a un nià ±o, cuando como resultado el menor quede en situacià ³n de dificultad econà ³mica o contribuir a que el menor cometa un delito. (El no pagar la pensià ³n alimenticia a un hijo puede ser considerado como un delito inmoral. Asà ­ el hijo està © en EEUU o en otro paà ­s).Participar en un tumulto en el que se produzca una alteracià ³n del orden pà ºblico.Agredir a otra persona o bien con un arma peligrosa o bien con la intencià ³n de robar, asesinar, violar o causar lesiones.Tambià ©n estn incluidos en estos crà ­menes el asesinato, el secuestro, el homicidio voluntario e incluso el involuntario, cuando se el autor haya sido manifiestamente imprudente, excepto en los casos de accidentes de trfico que no se consideran como una falta moral, a menos que haya habido consumo de drogas, alcohol, exceso de velocidad a todas luces temerario. Delitos contra la libertad y la moral sexual: Bigamia, o estar casado con ms de una persona al mismo tiempoIncesto y estupro, entendido este à ºltimo como una relacià ³n sexual de un adulto con un menor de edad que ya ha alcanzado la adolescencia, aunque dicha relacià ³n sea consentida por el menor.Violacià ³nProstitucià ³nFraude de paternidad, es decir, que una mujer declare que un determinado hombre es el padre biolà ³gico de un nià ±o a sabiendas de que el verdadero padre es otro, generalmente por interà ©s econà ³mico.Actos de naturaleza sexual en los que no hay tocamiento con la và ­ctima, como por ejemplo exposicià ³n en pà ºblico y ante otra persona de las partes à ­ntimas.Actos lujuriosos y obscenos inapropiados (lewdness), como mantener relaciones à ­ntimas en pà ºblico. Consecuencias migratorias de los delitos inmorales Los delitos inmorales pueden afectar a asuntos tan distintos como la deportacià ³n, denegacià ³n de visas no inmigrantes, denegacià ³n de la green card y no aprobacià ³n de la peticià ³n de naturalizacià ³n para obtener la ciudadanà ­a estadounidense. Como causas de deportacià ³n, recordar que los extranjeros que se encuentran en Estados Unidos pueden ser deportados dependiendo del tipo de infraccià ³n que cometan. En el caso especà ­fico de cà ³mo los delitos inmorales pueden ser causa de deportacià ³n de los residentes permanentes legales decir que puede suceder si: se cometieron en los cinco primeros aà ±os que siguieron a la  entrada en EEUU y la sentencia fue de, al menos, un aà ±o.Se cometieron 2 o ms delitos inmorales desde la fecha en que fue admitido a Estados Unidos legalmente. Dependiendo del caso, podrà ­a obtenerse una forma de alivio frente a la deportacià ³n segà ºn los lazos familiares, tiempo de estancia en los Estados Unidos, etc. Eso siempre que el delito inmoral no sea, al mismo tiempo, un delito agravado. Porque estos à ºltimos permiten menos opciones. Adems, los delitos inmorales pueden ser causa de lo que se conoce como inadmisibilidad. Esto opera de distintas formas. Por ejemplo, es causa para la denegacià ³n de la green card tanto cuando se tramita por ajuste de estatus o por medio de un procedimiento consular. Asimismo, los delitos inmorales convierten en inadmisibles a los extranjeros que desean ingresar a EEUU con una visa no inmigrante o sin visa por pertenecer a un paà ­s en el Programa de Exencià ³n de Visas.   La inadmisibilidad aplica por delito inmoral cuando la condena mxima que se puede recibir es de ms de un aà ±o. Tambià ©n cuando se ha sido sentenciado a ms de seis meses de reclusià ³n. En estos dos la regla no aplica cuando se cometià ³ el delito con menos de 18 aà ±os y ya han pasado al menos 5 desde la fecha en que se abandonà ³ la prisià ³n o el correccional. Tambià ©n se es inadmisible cuando se han cometido dos o ms delitos inmorales. En este caso no hay excepcià ³n por cuestià ³n de edad. En los casos de inadmisibilidad podrà ­a solicitarse un perdà ³n, tambià ©n conocido como waiver o permiso. Si bien hay que tener en cuenta que se piden ms requisitos en el caso de que el perdà ³n fuera necesaria para obtener una visa inmigrante (residencia permanente). En estos casos de visas inmigrantes la ley contempla dos supuestos en los que se puede aprobar el perdà ³n. En primer lugar, si ya han pasado ms de 15 aà ±os desde que se cometià ³ el delito inmoral y la persona ha sido rehabilitada o, en segundo lugar, si la persona ha sido pedida por uno de sus padres, cà ³nyuges o hijos que son ciudadanos americanos o residentes permanentes legales y se puede probar que se da el requisito de dureza extrema. Por à ºltimo, los delitos inmorales tambià ©n afectan a la naturalizacià ³n para obtener la ciudadanà ­a estadounidense porque o se cumple el requisito de buen carcter moral. Es muy importante asesorarse porque en la prctica muchos de estos casos dan lugar al inicio de un proceso de deportacià ³n. La importancia de abogado en casos de delitos inmorales Los delitos inmorales pueden provocar consecuencias muy graves. Adems, tienen el problema de que no hay un listado cerrado de acciones que pueden ser asà ­ calificadas por lo que a veces hay una situacià ³n poco clara sobre posibles efectos. Tambià ©n hay que tener en cuenta que para tener problemas no es necesaria la condena, ya que es suficiente la admisià ³n de haber cometido un delito inmoral. Por esta razà ³n, es muy importante contar con los servicios y asesorà ­a de un abogado que entienda las posibles consecuencias migratorias de estos actos, y no solo las penales. Este es un artà ­culo informativo. No es asesorà ­a legal.

AIG accounting scandal (2005) - Income Statement report Essay

AIG accounting scandal (2005) - Income Statement report - Essay Example hese scandals, postmortem results indicate presence of a creative accounting process, a phenomenon characterized by complex methods of funds redirecting and misuse as well as overstated revenues and improper reporting of expenses and liabilities. According to Roddy (2011, pp 34), the most significant scandal of the last decade involved Tyco, HealthSouth, Enron, WorldCom, and AIG among others. This paper aims at exploring the accounting scandal that affected American Insurance Group in 2005. American Insurance Group (AIG) is a multinational insurance corporation. It is regarded as the World’s largest insurance company with over 90,000 workers and offices in over 130 countries. The company is also involved in other forms of business including aircraft leasing and assets management in many parts of the world. During this time of the scandal, the company was led by Maurice Greenburg, the long-time serving leader, having led the company since 1968. He was named as the person involved in the scandal, and eventually pressured to step down in 2005. The company came under scrutiny first in 2001 after it was realized that a client company had been assisted to strengthen their balance sheet fraudulently. Investigations were started and in 2003, a penalty of $10 Million was passed by SEC to settle the issue. The company’s income smoothing products were investigated in 2004 and a bid rigging complaint filed. Kay (2005) wrote that the company admitted to having conducted improper accounting exercises. When the company finally released the 2004 annual earnings, it was discovered that re-insurance deals with GenRe were not accounted for in the deposits. A restatement of this resulted to a decrease in the earnings by $1.32 Billion. According to Martin and Wesley (2005), several lawsuits were filed against AIG starting with one by the Attorney General concerning misleading accounting which Greenberg dismissed as political war. Others were filed by the federal agency leading to

Society, Ethics and Technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

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Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Essay

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives - Essay Example At that time, agents collected taxes through the Department of Treasury. In 1886, the government established the Revenue laboratory, though at that time it dealt primarily with agricultural issues. The lab has advanced greatly since then, entering its second century with a staff of chemists, document analysts, latent print specialists, and firearms and tool mark examiners. The duties of the office shifted again in 1919 when ratification of the 18th Amendment together with the Volstead Prohibition Enforcement Act outlawed alcohol. Revenue officers, termed "revenoors," were now responsible for investigating "criminal violations of the Internal Revenue law" (ATF online), which included the illegal manufacture of liquors. With the new duties came a new name, the Prohibition Unit. Less than a decade later, on April 1, 1927, the unit became the Bureau of Prohibition. By July 1, 1930, the agency's duties and name changed yet again, when Congress transferred "the penal provisions of the national prohibition Act" (ATF online) to the Department of Justice's new Bureau of Prohibition. This move for the first time put the agency under the Justice Department, and did away with the Treasury Department's Bureau of Prohibition. ... This move for the first time put the agency under the Justice Department, and did away with the Treasury Department's Bureau of Prohibition. However, "tax-related and regulatory activities" (ATF online) stayed at the Treasury Department under the new Bureau of Industrial Alcohol. Three years later, on December 5, 1933, the Twenty-first Amendment to the Constitution repealed prohibition, once again changing the focus and duties of the Bureau. To deal with the sudden boom of legal alcohol production and sales, President Franklin Roosevelt created, through the National Industrial Recovery Act, the Federal Alcohol Control Administration (FACA). "The FACA, in cooperation with the Departments of Agriculture and Treasury, endeavored to guide wineries and distilleries under a system based on brewers' voluntary codes of fair competition (ATF Online)." The bureau was once again in the business of regulating. The FACA was to be short-lived; however, as President Roosevelt replaced it less than two years later in August 1935 by signing the Federal Alcohol Administration Act. This Act is still the basis for the agency's functions today, though the ATF has taken on other duties since the Act took effect. In 1934, the prohibition enforcement duties fell to the newly established Alcohol Tax Unit, a division of the Bureau of Internal Revenue, which was still housed in the Department of Treasury. At the same time the FAA, also housed in the Department of Treasury, was responsible for collecting data, establishing license and permit requirements, and defining "the regulations that ensure an open, fair marketplace for the alcohol industry and the consumer (ATF online)." In 1940, the two units merged. Gun-wielding crime lords led

To What Extent Were Women Victims of National Socialism Essay

To What Extent Were Women Victims of National Socialism - Essay Example The era is also criticised and condemned for confining the role of the women from social, economic and corporate fields to the four walls of their houses, where they were meant to conceive the children of this superior German race, and to serve and soothe their husbands on their return from the jobs and battlefields as well. Kolingsky (1993) submits to state that the woman under Nazi Germany had been assigned the only task of sustaining and maintaining their beauty in order to attract their husbands or lovers for conceiving children. It was not a novel thing for the females, as â€Å"the female bird preens herself for the male, and hatches the egg for him. In return, the male provides the food.† Before embarking upon the topic under analysis, it would be advisable to look into the history of inclusion and exclusion of women in professional activities outside their homes. German Women 1871—1933: The disintegrated Prussian states had launched a long and dedicated struggle in order to turn the dream of united Germany into reality. They had to win three successive battles against Denmark, Austria-Hungary, and France in 1864, 1866 and 1871 respectively in order to accomplish the arduous unification process of the shattered Prussian states under one banner and in one unit. German Iron-Chancellor Otto von Bismarck (1815-1898) was determined to make his country as the leader of the world in all aspects. Consequently, he assured the active participation of men and women in various occupations. Bismarck had played the decisive role in the upsurge of the German nation, and Kaiser Wilhelm II turned the country into a tremendous military and economic giant of the entire region for the future years to come. He did not confine the flow of progress to men only; on the contrary, he invited women folk too to step forwards and render their valuable contributions to their nation on the basis of their educational qualifications, experiences, and skills. As a result, w omen started working shoulder to shoulder with the male folk in the health, education and nursing sectors, and even military services of the country too. Imperial Germany, under the Reichstag, promoted an active female role as teachers, nurses, soldiers and political activists (Mahajan, 2002). Although the courageous and dauntless political and strategic policies devised by the then German leadership during 1871 to 1914 turned the country into a marvellous state of Europe, and invited and included all strata of society, including men, women, young and old into nation-building programmes, yet the entire developments made by the political leadership in order to make Germany as unchallenged created rivalries against the constantly rising economy. However, rapid industrialization also invited the high crime rate, urbanization and prostitution etc in its wake. The disquiet caused by these factors was simultaneously exacerbated in Germany by the increasingly vociferous demands of the Germ an women’s movement which emerged most strongly at the turn of the century. (Rowe, 1995)  

GROUP DEVELOPMENT AND THE GROUP STRUCTURE Essay

GROUP DEVELOPMENT AND THE GROUP STRUCTURE - Essay Example The role of leadership is highly considerable in resolving the conflicts within the groups. The organization’s culture and structure have a significant role in the group development and group structure of the company. The group structure is derived on the basis of company’s policies and procedures that are followed by all the employees of the company. As a new joined member of the group project, I was liable to fully follow the group structured guidelines that are already been designed by the leader and the other members of the group. But initially I was informed with the fact that the group has not started working on the project. When I joined the group the work gets started, and responsibilities and authorities were divided among all the group members. The management of activities and conflicts among the members of the group is the responsibility of a leader. The group leader was an impressive personality and he motivated the team in all stages of the project. The onl y thing that I found is needs to be improved to make more effective team structure that is the role of leader of the group. The leader used a centralized approach throughout the project. Every thing was compulsory to inform the leader at all stages. It is the responsibility to inform the leader at every stage of the work. However, in my opinion leadership could be more effective if it follows the charismatic approach of leadership. Group structure has a considerable impact on the performance of the group members. While working in a centralized structure, I had realized that centralized structure has a significant influence on the performance of our team. Decentralized structure could have been a better choice than centralized structure for the group practices, but it was not the perception of other group members. GROUP DEVELOPMENT AND THE GROUP STRUCTURE For understanding the behavior of the teams, it is extremely beneficial to analyze the model defined specifically for explaining t he steps required for the development of a team. The group development model is the source to identify the behavior of team members at four stages of the development phase of the group. I have explained the detailed analysis that is what I have experienced while working with a team. GROUP DEVELOPMENT MODEL (Johnson et al., 2002) There are four stages are defined in group development model of Tuckman’s in 1965 as defined by Johnson et al., (2002), and on the basis of which I have shared my experience in working with a group. Forming When I had attended the first group meeting, all of the other members of the group were familiar with each other because I had joined the group lately. The group was based on 9 members including leader. In the first meeting, I came to know that the working on the project has not been started so far, and I was surprised with this notification. I got introduced with the team members and met with the team leader as well. The leader played a decisive r ole as he was encouraging and influencing the team members. But what I felt is coordination among the team members was not satisfactory. Because of this reason the project did not start by the team in time. The proper coordination of team members is one of the basic responsibilities of group leader. For the realization of value of time management for the development of an effective team, I tried to let them understand the value of time in the project. Time management in the project increases the productivity, effectiveness and efficiency of the working procedures of the projects (Driscoll, 2013). Storming After good interaction with all the team members and a group leader, I precede to the next step of in the light of Tuckman’

International Finance Paper (Home Depot) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

International Finance Paper (Home Depot) - Essay Example During the years 2008 and 2009, the company was forced to lay off more than a thousand employees and 54 stores across US had to be closed. This includes the whole of the EXPO Design Centre Chain, which was engaged in high end retailing. In the year 2009 the company logged a sales figure of $71.288 billion, which was $20 billion less than was at it was in 2007. This paper deals with the various financial issues encountered by Home Depot during the course of its operation and talks about the measures, which the company is undertaking to deal with the same. As a business policy, HDI was engaged in mergers and acquisitions from the early days of its operations. The company also later on diversified its operation into other countries like Canada and Mexico, where in it needed expert advice on the various complex issues related to international finance. In these circumstances the company made a deal with Invemed Associates, who are engaged in the business of investment banking. An investment bank has departments like the Corporate Finance, which deals in the areas of mergers and acquisitions along with providing finance related consultancy to the clients. Another important division in the company is of the Research, which is concerned with analysis and valuation of shares and bonds, the recommendations on which are then presented to the clients. An investment bank also provides consultancy to their client’s for raising debts and equity from the market. Invemed Associates is required to constantly monitor the financial health of HDI and report on the same to the Board of Directors of HDI. Invemed is also required to inform the board on any economic trend that is relevant to the type of business in which the company is engaged in. Invemed Associates advises HDI every time it wishes to borrow money from the market or issue securities to the public.  (FindLaw, 2009) Before the sale of Home depot supply in

GROUP DEVELOPMENT AND THE GROUP STRUCTURE Essay

GROUP DEVELOPMENT AND THE GROUP STRUCTURE - Essay Example The role of leadership is highly considerable in resolving the conflicts within the groups. The organization’s culture and structure have a significant role in the group development and group structure of the company. The group structure is derived on the basis of company’s policies and procedures that are followed by all the employees of the company. As a new joined member of the group project, I was liable to fully follow the group structured guidelines that are already been designed by the leader and the other members of the group. But initially I was informed with the fact that the group has not started working on the project. When I joined the group the work gets started, and responsibilities and authorities were divided among all the group members. The management of activities and conflicts among the members of the group is the responsibility of a leader. The group leader was an impressive personality and he motivated the team in all stages of the project. The onl y thing that I found is needs to be improved to make more effective team structure that is the role of leader of the group. The leader used a centralized approach throughout the project. Every thing was compulsory to inform the leader at all stages. It is the responsibility to inform the leader at every stage of the work. However, in my opinion leadership could be more effective if it follows the charismatic approach of leadership. Group structure has a considerable impact on the performance of the group members. While working in a centralized structure, I had realized that centralized structure has a significant influence on the performance of our team. Decentralized structure could have been a better choice than centralized structure for the group practices, but it was not the perception of other group members. GROUP DEVELOPMENT AND THE GROUP STRUCTURE For understanding the behavior of the teams, it is extremely beneficial to analyze the model defined specifically for explaining t he steps required for the development of a team. The group development model is the source to identify the behavior of team members at four stages of the development phase of the group. I have explained the detailed analysis that is what I have experienced while working with a team. GROUP DEVELOPMENT MODEL (Johnson et al., 2002) There are four stages are defined in group development model of Tuckman’s in 1965 as defined by Johnson et al., (2002), and on the basis of which I have shared my experience in working with a group. Forming When I had attended the first group meeting, all of the other members of the group were familiar with each other because I had joined the group lately. The group was based on 9 members including leader. In the first meeting, I came to know that the working on the project has not been started so far, and I was surprised with this notification. I got introduced with the team members and met with the team leader as well. The leader played a decisive r ole as he was encouraging and influencing the team members. But what I felt is coordination among the team members was not satisfactory. Because of this reason the project did not start by the team in time. The proper coordination of team members is one of the basic responsibilities of group leader. For the realization of value of time management for the development of an effective team, I tried to let them understand the value of time in the project. Time management in the project increases the productivity, effectiveness and efficiency of the working procedures of the projects (Driscoll, 2013). Storming After good interaction with all the team members and a group leader, I precede to the next step of in the light of Tuckman’

Business to business system in supply Chain extension Essay Example for Free

Business to business system in supply Chain extension Essay In the aerospace sector, manufacturers are making strategic efforts to consolidate their supply base and forge stronger relationships with remaining suppliers (Stundza, 1999). For example, Boeing consolidated and standardized its supply contracts and plans to reduce its number of suppliers from 3,100 to 2,700 (Stundza, 2000b). Bowman (1998) notes that within the last year in the logistics industry shippers are increasingly bidding at the corporate level. More of them are making decisions by committee, whittling down their international provider base to a bare minimum. For example, he notes that about 40 percent of the global accounts of APL Ltd. , a worldwide logistics provider, had some type of logistics council or centralized body for purchasing, strategizing, and decision making. 8 To set the stage for PSM change, innovative customers are conducting comprehensive, corporate-wide spend analyses 9 to better understand their primary sources of expenditures and to then target their PSM improvement initiatives (e.g. , quality, speed, or cost effectiveness) on those goods and services that represent their largest and most strategic expenditures (see Owens et al. , 1998, and Laseter, 1998). 10 Customers are also stratifying their supply base by effect on results and level of strategic risk and then matching the specific management approach and type of relationship formed with particular suppliers to (Moore, Baldwin, Camm, and Cook 2002, 6 7). The truth of the matter is that the chains grew because they introduced a method of retail distribution for which there was a definite need and which the old wholesaler-retailer system failed to supply. To what extent the old system was inherently deficient and to what extent its shortcomings could be and have been corrected must be discussed now, not for the sake of stressing the imperfections of a competitive system but in order to contrast certain features of the chain-store system. The ideal distribution system would bridge the gap between production and consumption with maximum efficiency at minimum cost. Without any question, the outstanding inherent defect of the old wholesaler-retailer system lay in the fact that, under it, the wholesale function and the retail function are performed by separate, independent factors, whereas, under the chain-store system, the two functions are, to a major extent, combined. In no sense does the chain-store system eliminate the wholesale function: it still has to be performed, but, whereas under the old system the wholesaler exercised no control over his retail outlets nor did the retailer have any control over his sources of supply, under the chain-store system both functions are performed by the same organization and the control is unified. That this basic difference between the two systems has been partly nullified by the development of voluntary chains of various kinds is true. But the fact remains that such organizations did not come prominently into the picture until the chains had established themselves on a firm basis. When the chains were making their greatest strides, the old wholesaler-retailer set-up provided their principal competition. Reduced to its simplest terms, the main result of the essential difference between the two systems lies in the fact that under the old plan it is necessary for the wholesaler to sell to the retailer before the merchandise can find its way into consumption. Under the chain-store system, this intervening selling process, with all its disadvantages, is obviated. (Lebhar 1963, 87- 88) In 1981, standards for shipping containers were adopted; these facilitated the extension of the UPC into the emerging supply chain processes then appearing in both manufacturing and retailing industries. One of the reasons that the UPC had to spread grew out of the fact that not all goods sold in grocery stores were food; they included health and beauty aids, household cleaners, and so forth, which came from other industries. To take full advantage of the technology, the Grocery Industry wanted others to adopt the symbol as well. During the 1980s and 1990s, that was what happened. (Cortada 2004, 299) a. Keywords ? GDP = the growth development project is one of the most important factors in determining the standing of the country in terms of their economic inflation. ? e-buisness = is one of the most popular business internet market the products here are quite fast in the presentation to the client or so called the customer. ? Probability of UK GDP = this is something to do with the computation of the GDP of UK. This will reveal the trends of the UK if the economic inflation will fall or ascent. ? Linear regression= is the model that will suit in some computation for economic studies. This will also lead the person to identify the trends of the business to the market place. b. Basic Definitions and Terms The following terms were formulated for more understanding: ? Business to business (B2B) = It refers to the business situation and ? Inflation = This means that †¦.. ? Information technology = This refers to †¦.. c. Primary Sources d. Map out Important Areas e. Originality f. Review Conclusion.

Integrating Social Responsibility In Higher Education Management Essay

Integrating Social Responsibility In Higher Education Management Essay The perception of Corporate Social Responsibility is generally understood to mean that corporations have a degree of accountability not only for the economic consequences of their activities, but also for the social and green connotation. This is occasionally referred to as a triple bottom line approach that considers the economic, social and ecological aspects of corporate activity. a variety of terms are used to describe CSR proposal, including Corporate Responsibility, Corporate Accountability, Corporate Citizenship and Sustainability. The implication and value of CSR may differ in various statuses, depending on local factors including culture, environmental circumstances, and the legal framework. Issues like Education, The Environment, Hunger and Equal Opportunity were once thought of as social issues to be addressed completely by government. Today, public and private organizations collaborate; amalgamation resources, skills, energies and relationships to solve what we now understand are economic issues. But every corporation cannot take on every social issue. Todays most successful corporations must make strategic choices in their approach to Corporate Citizenship. Not only cost-effectively successful, they are deeply occupied in their communities. These companies understand limitations and competencies, and use this knowledge to create a deliberate social agenda that has positive collision in what they do every day. This is the new model for corporate citizenship. A business strategy creating competitive advantage, determining standards and guiding employees in how we manage every day, in communities around the world Literature review The aim of the following literature review is to identify the most important and knowledgeably important academic and practical works throughout the past decade as well as the current practices upon the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in higher education. According to (Valentine and Fleischman 2008) CSR is defined as the economic, legal, ethical, and discretionary expectancies that society has of organizations at a given point in time. This definition is based on Carrollà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸s study (1979) where he defined three components of social responsibility and broadened the scope of its understanding (Maignan 2001, Popa 2010). Carroll suggested that businesses have to fulfill economic, legal and ethical in order to address its entire obligations to society. Economic responsibilities designate the obligations for businesses to be productive and profitable (Maignan 2001). Legal responsibilities refer to the framework of legal requirements which businesses need to meet while practicing economic duties (Carroll 1979). Ethical responsibilities are the defined appropriate behaviors by established norms that businesses should follow. According to (Filho et al. 2010) Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is defined through the ethical relationship and transparency of the company with all its stakeholders that has a relationship as well as with the establishment of corporate goals that are compatible with the sustainable development of society, preserving environmental and cultural resources for future generations, respecting diversity and promoting the reduction of social problems (Filho et al. 2010). While CSR points out a way for companies to contribute to the well-being of the society, it also gives the opportunity to create a true competitive advantage and positive reputation for the business world (Smith 2007, Porter and Kramer 2006). Under the new circumstances such as the competition in higher education industry, many higher education institutions are adapting a more business-like approach in order to compete and survive in the changing face of the industry (Weymans 2010, Gumport 2000, Goia and Thomas 1996). And during the adaptation of this business-like approach, some institutions are discovering the importance of corporate image, corporate identity, corporate reputation and mainly CSR as a reputation and an advantage building strategy (Atakan and Eker 2007, Stensaker 2007, Porter and Kramer 2006, Melewar and Akel 2005). Although issues of CSR have always been a part of the educational mission of higher education institutions, through implementing CSR strategies, higher education institutions are now using this approach as a part of their competitive strategy. Hence, by developing such strategies higher education institutions are also discovering the opportunity to move the focus beyond the classroom into thei r own institutional operations. 2.1 Higher education and CSR One of the most significant indicators of social progress is education, which also plays a decisive role for a society to achieve selfà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ sustainable and equal development. With an increasing global realization of how business community can contribute to social objectives, education deserves a higher level of corporate involvement than status quo. Higher education institutions are often looked upon to take a leadership role within societies.  Ã‚  Students expect to learn by examples, whether through advanced research or by extending the bounds of justice on a global scale.  Ã‚   Now business institutions are emphasizing a lot on CSR and they are finding different ways for the implementation of CSR. Higher education institutions can choose to be followers, or they can grab the opportunity to be leader and adopt CSR a vital aspect of their competitive advantage.  Ã‚  A recent academic article on CSR suggests that higher education institutions can lead in the practices of CSR two ways, first, higher education institutions should promote a true culture of CSR throughout their organizations.  Ã‚  Second, higher education institutions should develop social marketing actions in order to better communicate and interact with stakeholders.   Higher education institutions have an opportunity to lead in an area that most businesses have recognized as important.  Higher education institutions can and should build on a tradition of the past decades of attempting to engage in positive social actions. 2.2 CSR and the Stake Holders The stakeholders of a higher education include present students, faculty and management. In the 1980s, student protest often focused on how higher education institutions were managing their large endowments.  Students wanted to have an impact; higher education institutions were grappling with how to respond. In todays era, students still care about how higher education institutions are exercising their own CSR, from climate change and recycling to making a difference with respect to global inequities in the world.   Higher education institutions can meet the expectations of stakeholders by adopting a well-conceived CSR strategy in the same manner as other organizations. Higher education institutions should look forward to grab the opportunity about the concern of stake holders (student current and potential, faculty and management). Higher educations institutions have realized that to gain a competitive edge in the market they have to satisfy the concerns of their stake holders. Therefore implementing CSR strategies in a higher education institution should be considered in order to obtain a true competitive advantage and a positive reputation. Moreover practicing what is taught and thereby generating a real example of the academic knowledge can create a unique proposition for any higher education institution The government of Pakistan needs to be focused on educational and other sector and should be socially responsible and business friendly. Now some educational institution is working to incorporated CSR into the business degrees program and courses, especially at leading business institutes such as LUMS or IBA. 2.3 CSR Practices in Pakistan In Pakistan there is a set of social pressures that force companies and other institutions to act in a much more compact and price-driven manner, thus resulting in a less than 50 percent compliance rate with basic CSR principles and objectives But In educational sector there is less awareness on CSR importance. Now some institutions are putting their efforts to implement the concept of CSR in the future business leaders. The Multi-National Companies is playing a vital role for making business student aware about what is CSR for this purpose different seminars and workshop is conducted for the student on the importance of CSR and its strategy practice and implementation and creating opportunities for the students, potential employer/employee to learn from their best practices. Some companies like Unilever, P G, Gillette, Siemens is performing their job well to aware the future business leaders Of Pakistan. 2.4 Karachi School for Business and Leadership  KSBL Is also committed to promote the core values of integrity and entrepreneurial spirit within our students. So we will be offering a leading-edge MBA programs, with a focus on ethical leadership and corporate social responsibility, to the many talented individuals in the country as well as from abroad. 2.5 Bahria University A Leadership Development Centre is functional at both the Islamabad and Karachi Campuses of the Bahria University. It is built in order to solve the issues and challenges that are faced by students in the world and to become successful leaders and are able to take higher responsibilities. To facilitate student activities, Bahria University has set up a Student Resource Centre that helps students to develop their leadership, communication, management and social skills. Bahria University believes in producing all rounder students containing various skills with themselves and therefore it has provided a platform for growth in that context. 3. Methodology The study research method will be the crucial research plan. Both the qualitative and quantitative techniques would be used in our research. Some of deans, professors and Assistant professors would be interviewed regarding Corporate Social Responsibility and integration with HEC. Students of MBA and BBA were asked to fill a close-ended questionnaire in identification of factors influencing CSR upon Higher Educations, decisions and a suggestion were also be asked from the Professors and students. Measurement Procedure Following Measurement procedures are used in this research. 1) We ask for suggestions and recommendation from the students and the professors. 2) We also rate the major factors of CSR upon higher education. Frame of reference We interacted with the faculty and student who have moderate level of experience and have sound knowledge about the CSR and the higher education system. This approach would help in our research to compile results by cumulating the opinions of the experienced people. Instrument selection Primarily we collected data through interviewing management. Through secondary method, we extracted the information by evaluating the past articles regarding CSR and Higher educations. Since this study explores the Pakistani environment from the perspective of educated professionals and students, the choice of questionnaire have been selected. People who are in consideration for useful and remarkable information for the study will be initially contacted i.e. Students and Professors Variables Main variables would be influence upon social responsibility, higher education, course integration, and Business schools. 4. CSR THE STAKEHOLDERS Faculty Faculty of the institution would be the direct stakeholder of this research as they would be benefited if the research is successful. Students Business School students are the indirect stakeholders in this research because they would be utilized in the convenience sampling of our research methodology. Management The Management would be the direct stakeholder of this research because it is the management who are the core responsible of Corporate Social Responsibility in any organization, especially in Educational institutions. I.e. Business Schools 5. Conclusion and Recommendations Business schools have a responsibility to provide practitioners with training in the basics of ethics, which would ideally act as a catalyst to stimulate socially and ethically managed business organizations. (Cornelius Wallace, Tassabehji, 2007). Business ethics course provides an understanding of ethical and social responsibility issues in contemporary business life. The aim is to enhance studentsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸ critical perspectives in implementing ethical behavior in organizations in relation to various stakeholders as well as the institutionalization of business ethics in the corporations (Undergraduate Handbook 2011-2012). Due to the lack of jobs, recession, inflation unemployment is increasing day by day which leaves only few jobs for business graduates and companies now are focusing on those students that have an extensive knowledge in their respective specialized skills and a good knowledge about CSR and about its implementation. Now, why companies are looking for individuals with CSR knowledge because consumers today require every knowledge about the product. Consumers are demanding more information on everything from where and how their goods are produced to the environmental record of the companies they invest in Pakistan is lacking many things related to Corporate Integration and social responsibility, higher authorities are not taking necessary actions to restore things for the betterment. Integration of CSR into curriculum Offer an additional course in the BBA/MBA program on the importance of CSR its strategy building and practice. For practice and strategy building some reference is needed from case studies and seminars should be offered for the executive MBA Courses which should be make mandatory for all the business students. An additional fund is needed to trained the faculty member/professors by offering workshops related to CSR and international business leaders should be invited as a guest speaker to share their expertise. The research work is also required to do research on current practices of CSR and It should be referred to CSR in the area of their expertise. The faculty member should ask for presentations and report related to CSR model building and its implementation in Pakistan. It should be mandatory for completing the course. Executive programs and seminars on CSR can be developed to help educate business leaders and managers on CSR principles and share international and local best practices. Academic institutions should make CSR an area of academic research. Academic institutions can make an immense contribution to promoting CSR through research findings. Educational institutions can collaborate with businesses to effectively introduce future managers to ethical and responsible business etiquette. Such initiatives include making internship arrangements for practical experience to students at exemplary companies. Students and lecturers can also be involved to conduct process assessments in companies. Academic institutions should also tap into funding and resources from state agencies and business community to develop CSR curricular and facilitate better transition from academia to employment. We need serious, concerted efforts to integrate social corporate responsibility in educational Institution. Business schools should maintain and increase CSR coverage. Business schools should not only react to the growing awareness and demand of students, but also have a proactive role in responsible management education, in both teaching and research. CSR and ethics can be embedded in core subjects, but also be taught as a separate core subject. The students with their positive attitudes towards CSR should draw the demand from the suppliers of their management education to include social and ethical management issues and courses. They act upon their attitudes and values by searching for schools that teach responsible management and by creating their own organizations such as Net Impact.

Analysis of William Wordsworths Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tinte

Analysis of William Wordsworth's Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey William Wordsworth poem 'Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey'; was included as the last item in his Lyrical Ballads. The general meaning of the poem relates to his having lost the inspiration nature provided him in childhood. Nature seems to have made Wordsworth human.The significance of the abbey is Wordsworth's love of nature. Tintern Abbey representes a safe haven for Wordsworth that perhaps symbolizes a everlasting connection that man will share with it's surroundings. Wordsworth would also remember it for bringing out the part of him that makes him a 'A worshipper of Nature'; (Line 153). Five different situations are suggested in "Lines" each divided into separate sections. The first section details the landscape around the abbey, as Wordsworth remembers it from five years ago. The second section describes the five-year lapse between visits to the abbey, during which he has thought often of his experience there. The third section specifies Wordsworth's attempt to use nature to see inside his inner self. The fourth section shows Wordsworth exerting his efforts from the preceding stanza to the landscape, discovering and remembering the refined state of mind the abbey provided him with. In the final section, Wordsworth searches for a means by which he can carry the experiences with him and maintain himself and his love for nature. . In the first stanza, Wordsworth lets you know he is seeing the abbey for a second time by using phrases such as "again I hear," "again do I behold," and "again I see. He describes the natural landscape as unchanged and he describes it in descending order of importance beginning with with the 'lofty cliffs'; (Line 5) dominantly overlooking the abbey. After the cliffs comes the river, , then the forests, and hedgerows of the cottages that once surrounded the abbey but have since been abandoned. After the cottages, is the vagrant hermit who sits alone in his cave, perhaps symbolizing the effects being away from the abbey has had on Wordsworth. Wordsworth professes to "sensations sweet / Felt in the blood, and felt along the heart" (lines 28-29) which the memories of nature can inspire when he is lonely, just as the hermit is lonely. Wordsworth desires nature only because of his separateness, and the more isolated he feels the mor... ...ame more involved with human concerns. He has become more thoughtful and sees nature in the light of those thoughts. He has traded the boundless energy for maturity and the "still, sad music of humanity" (line 92). Wordsworth ends the poem with the fifth stanza, a farewell to the abbey and the inspiration it has given him. He realizes that there may come a time when he may no longer be able to inspire himself with life-changing situations, and that he will not be able to run back to Tintern Abbey to find himself again. He does what he can, though. He will also be able to rely on his sister, who shared these experiences with him and in whose voice "I catch the language of my former heart, and read my former pleasures in the shooting lights of thy wild eyes" (lines 117-120). Eventually even these may fail him, and in the closing lines of the poem he consoles himself that he and his sister will be able to look back fondly and at least remember their shared time together. Works Cited: Wordsworth, William. Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 6th ed. Vol. 2. M. H. Abrams Gen. ed. New York, London: Norton. 2 vols. 1993.

Heinrich Schliemann Essay -- essays research papers fc

"We could describe (Heinrich) Schliemann's excavations on the hill of Hissarlik and consider their results without speaking of Troy or even alluding to it," Georges Perrot wrote in 1891 in his Journal des Savants. "Even then, they would have added a whole new chapter to the history of civilization, the history of art" (qtd. in Duchêne 87). Heinrich Schliemann's life is the stuff fairy tales are made of. A poor, uneducated, and motherless boy rises through his hard work and parsimonious lifestyle to the heights of wealth (Burg 1,2). He travels the world and learns its languages ("Heinrich Schliemann"), takes a beautiful Greek bride, and together they unearth the treasures of Troy and the citadel of Agamemnon, thereby fulfilling the dream he has chased since childhood (Calder 18,19; Burg 8). Indeed, by presenting his life in romantic autobiographies as a series of adventures, starring Heinrich Schliemann as the epic hero (Duchêne 14), h e ensured his status as a lasting folk hero and perennial bestseller (Calder 19). The reality was that Heinrich Schliemann was an incredible con man, a generally unlikable braggart who succeeded only because of his queer mix of genius and fraudulence. He had a shylock's conscience when it came to business dealings, and his shady methods pervaded both his life and his archaeology (Burg, 15-31). Schliemann had a habit of rewriting his past in order to paint a more dramatic picture of himself. Among the events he reported that have been found to be grossly untrue are his tales of being entertained by the American president Millard Fillmore and his wife in 1851, and his narrow escape from the San Francisco fire of that same year (Traill 9-13). More disturbing is when he applies these tactics to his archaeology. In December of 1981 Professor David Traill, a Latinist, concluded that the "Treasure of Priam", Schliemann's most impressive find at Troy, was actually a composite of several small finds uncovered from beyond the walls of the city. Schliemann had collected the pieces from 1871 to 1873 in order to produce a single find large enough to earn him the respect of fellow archaeologists, and also permission from the British to excavate at Mycenae (Calder 33). Twenty years of research led the Traill to the belief that, "the question is no longer whether but rather t... ...tp://www.astro.virginia.edu/~eww6n/bios/Schliemann/> "Homeric Questions Part III - Archaeology- 9/6/98." The Mining Company, <http://archaeology.miningco.com/library/weekly/aa090698.htm?pid=2765&cob=home>(6 September 1998) Kiernan, Mary K. "Heinrich Schliemann." Lecture at Vero Beach High School, 21 October 1997. Lost Treasures of Troy. BBC, London. 1994 "The Minoan Costume." FirstNet, <http://www.firstnethou.com/annam/costhist.html/minoan.html/index.html> Traill, David. Schliemann of Troy: Treasure and Deceit. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1995. "Troy." Thinkquest Organization, <http://www.thinkquest.org/tqfans.html> "Troy VI." Dartmouth Archaeology, <http://devlab.cs.dartmouth.edu/history/bronze_age/lessons/23.html> "TROY: 4000 year old Ancient City." <http://www.iit.edu/~agunsal/truva/truva/truva.html> "Western Anatolia and the Eastern Aegean." <http://devlab.dartmouth.edu/history/bronze_age/lessons/7.html#9>(3 July 1996)            

Wayne Williams Case Study Essay Essay

On July 28 1979, a woman found two males bodies alongside a road. This later was named the â€Å"Atlanta Child Murders†. Between 1979 and 1981, a total of 20-30 African-Americans disappeared in Atlanta, Georgia. They were mostly murdered by strangulation or asphyxiation. A whopping 29 homicides were proved to be linked to the same killer. Police did not have a huge amount of forensic evidence to track down the killer. They only had the evidence of fibers from the bodies and clothing of the victims. The fibers were unusual ones. Some of the fibers were yellow-green nylon and some had a cross section shape to them. The fibers apparently were used in rugs or carpets. In February 1981, the killer began dumping bodies into the Chattahoochee River. The victims found were completely or almost completely in the nude. Supposedly, the killer was watching media coverage of the killings. That helped him modify his methods to get rid of the fiber evidence on the victim’s bodies. Police then started to watch and search bridges along the river. This is all in an effort to catch the killer possibly doing his methods of dumping a body. Early on the morning of May 22, 1981, a police patrol heard a splash in the river. That caused Police to stop and check out what they heard or saw. They found a station wagon on the James Jackson Parkway Bridge. They found out the driver was 23-year-old Wayne Williams. Wayne Williams was a music promoter. He was questioned by police, but was then allowed to leave after a polygraph test, which came back inconclusive. On May 24 1981, the body of Nathaniel Cater was found from the Chattahoochee River about a mile from James Jackson Parkway Bridge. A single strand of yellowish- green nylon fiber was found on his body. A search warrant for Williams’‛ house was given to police. They found carpet similar to the yellow-green fibers found in the early victims in his house. They had to be conclusive enough to tie Williams to the murders. The police needed to demonstrate that these carpet fibers were not normally found in houses throughout Atlanta. Police found in his home a book detailing how to ‘beat’ polygraph tests. They also found statements from colleagues working in Williams’ studio stating he had been seen covered in scratches around the time of the murders. Chemists at DuPont also the world’s largest producer of fibers helped the FBI. FBI analysts passed the fibers through a device that  stretches fibers giving it optical properties. This allowed the FBI to trace these fibers to a Georgia carpet manufacturer. over a 12 month period from 1970 – 1971 the factory only made 16,397 square yards of carpet of this certain fiber and color which was English Olive. Police did some calculations and found out that the probability of finding a room in the metropolitan area of Atlanta that had carpet in that shade was 1 in 7,792. Wayne Williams was thought to be linked to 28 to 30 killings. Police and prosecutors decided on a plan to focus on just two cases, which were the Nathaniel Cater, and Jimmy Ray Payne cases. Those bodies were semi-nude and where recovered from the Chattahoochee River on April 27, 1981. In the latter case, police had also found a fiber on the shorts of the victim, which were similar to fibers found in Wayne Williams’s station wagon. Chevrolet gave details on the number of pre- 1973 vehicles with this type of carpet in them. Police found out that only 680 out of 2 million registered cars were carpeted with this type if carpet. That meant the odds of the victim encountering this fiber from any other car than Williams’‛ were 1 in 3,828. Even though not all this evidence may be enough to convict someone of murder, consider that the odds of both events happening was 1 in 29,827,776. The fiber evidence was the key to all, which was determined. On 27 February 1982, Williams was found guilty of the murder of two victims. Those victims where a Nathaniel Carter and Jimmy Ray Payne. He was sentenced to two terms of life imprisonment. Even though he was not charged with additional counts of murder, it was suspected that Williams was responsible for more of the Atlanta murders. He remains in prison at the age of 58 to this day.